Trump Review Threatens Mexican Consulates, Straining Ties

The Trump administration has launched a review of all 53 Mexican consulates across the United States, a move that could lead to the closure of an unknown number of diplomatic offices and has deepened fears among millions of Mexican immigrants who rely on consular services. The review, overseen by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, comes at a moment of severely deteriorating bilateral relations between Washington and Mexico City.

Context

Mexico maintains the largest foreign consular network in the United States — 53 consulates, far more than any other country. By comparison, the U.S. operates just nine consulates in Mexico. These Mexican diplomatic outposts provide essential services to millions of Mexican nationals, including passport and identification document issuance, legal assistance for detained migrants, and daily visits to ICE detention centers.

The review was first reported by CBS News on May 7 and later confirmed by AP News. The State Department has offered no specific explanation for the review, with Assistant Secretary of State Dylan Johnson stating only that the department is “constantly reviewing all aspects of American foreign relations to ensure they are in line with the President’s America First foreign policy agenda.”

Key Developments

The review occurs against a backdrop of multiple flashpoints between the two countries. In recent weeks, two CIA officers died in a joint anti-narcotics operation in Chihuahua — an operation Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her government had not authorized. The U.S. has also indicted several Mexican officials, including a top Sheinbaum ally, on drug trafficking charges. Trump has repeatedly threatened military action against Mexican cartels, and tit-for-tat tariffs have further strained economic ties.

According to the Mexico Daily Post, at least 20 of the 53 consulates are under investigation for alleged illegal financial networks linked to Mexico’s ruling party, Morena. Many consulates are led by Morena-affiliated political appointees, and investigators are examining contracts between Morena and firms allegedly tied to foreign adversaries.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has categorically denied any wrongdoing. “This idea that the Mexican consulates are playing politics in the United States is completely false,” Sheinbaum said. “What consulates do, just like the U.S. consulate in Mexico, is always protect their citizens.”

Analysis

The review has been amplified by far-right author Peter Schweizer, whose book “The Invisible Coup” alleges that Mexico uses “weaponized immigration” to undermine U.S. sovereignty. Schweizer’s claims — including that Mexican consulates organize political activity in the U.S. and distribute Spanish-language textbooks portraying the U.S. as an enemy — have been promoted by Trump loyalists and conservative media. However, multiple experts, including former Mexican Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan and the Migration Policy Institute, state there is no evidence of consulates interfering in U.S. elections.

Sarukhan warned that a review of foreign consulates is “usually a sign that a bilateral relationship is in a very, very rocky moment” and that U.S.-Mexico relations are at “the worst moment…in decades.”

Ariel Ruiz Soto, a senior policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute, said closing consulates “would have significant, devastating effects for Mexican immigrants,” particularly those in isolated areas. In Los Angeles alone, consular officials have interviewed 1,940 detained Mexicans since a June 2025 immigration crackdown. Nearly half had deep roots in the U.S., 35% have U.S.-born children, and 46% were deported.

Carlos González Gutiérrez, Mexico’s top diplomat in Los Angeles, defended the consulate’s work, stating: “We are guests of this country’s government, just as U.S. consuls are guests of the Mexican government. In that sense, we are neither activists nor spies.”

The U.S. has in recent years closed foreign consulates under similar circumstances, including a Chinese consulate in Houston in 2020 over espionage concerns and three Russian facilities, including a consulate in San Francisco.

What’s Next

The review raises critical unanswered questions: What specific criteria is the State Department using? How many consulates are actually at risk? Is the review driven primarily by immigration enforcement, the Morena investigation, or the Schweizer-inspired narrative?

For the millions of Mexican nationals in the United States who depend on consular services for passports, legal aid, and family support, the uncertainty is deeply unsettling. As Azucena Aviles, a Mexican citizen who drove over an hour to the Los Angeles consulate to renew her passport, told AP News: “It wouldn’t be fair if they messed with the Mexican people, especially with our support systems.”

With USMCA free trade negotiations on the horizon and security cooperation critical to both nations, the potential closure of Mexican consulates would mark an unprecedented diplomatic setback — one that could reshape the U.S.-Mexico relationship for years to come.